Indicator bracket support



y 1, 1962 M. E. SMITH 3,032,309

INDICATOR BRACKET SUPPORT Filed Feb. 14, 1961 INVENTOR.

44:2 rm/ 5. sM/rh' United States Patent M 3,032,309 I INDICATOR BRACKET SUPPORT Melvin E. Smith, Davison, Mich, assignor to Fisk Tool Company, Flint, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Feb. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 89,286 Claims. (Cl. 248346) This invention relates to an improved supporting bracket for an indicator mechanism such as the conventional dial indicator or an air probe indicator.

An object is the provision of an indicator supporting bracket and mounting which mounting carries the indicator and is in turn carried by the bracket and is adjustable with respect to the bracket to permit desired adjustment of the indicator with respect to a piece of work.

Another object is the provision of an indicator supporting bracket of the character specified which is adapted to permit ready adjustment and support of the indicator andwhich is of simple and inexpensive construction and which is furthermore so constructed that a tension is maintained on a support for the indicator during its movement to adjusted positions whereby it may be moved for adjustment without undesirable play or displacement that would interfere with the desired adjustment. Another object is the provision of an indicator supporting bracket as hereinabove set forth comprising a base that is adaptable to cooperate with an indicator mounting carried thereby and wherein the mounting may vary depending upon the character of the indicator supported thereupon, but regardless of such variation the mountmg Will cooperate with the base to permit adjustment of diflerent indicators upon the base.

Another object is the provision of an indicator bracket support as set forth herein wherein there is provided a base formed of two cooperating sections which define therebetween a way adapted to slidably receive a cooperating male land carried by an indicator mounting for slidable movement therein and wherein means is provided to grip the land and hold it securely at adjusted positions within the way and wherein means is provided to maintain a tension between the land within the way while permitting its adjustment therein so that the indicator mounting may be accurately adjusted and may be positively held at adjusted positions.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features will more fully appear from the specification, claims, and accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of my invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a plan looking upwardly at that portion of the bracket which is secured to the indicator housing.

FIG. 6 is an end elevation of a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a view taken at right angles to the view of FIG. 6 showing a side elevation of the same structure.

This invention is illustrated in two slightly different embodiments. The embodiments differ due to the fact that the supporting bracket is used to support two different types of gages. The type of gage shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is the ordinary conventional dial indicator. The type of gage shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is what is commonly known as an air probe type of gage. The brackets differ only in that they are designed to accommodate these two types of gages.

Each bracket comprises a base portion and the base portions of the two embodiments are identical. This base 3,032,309 Patented May 1, 1962 portion comprises a base block indicated as 10 which may be formed of metal or the like and is shown in the various figures of the drawings as a rectangular metal plate consisting of two parts. One part is indicated by the numeral 12. The other part is indicated by the numeral. 14. These parts are secured together by screws 16 as shown in the first three figures of the drawing. The opposed cooperating faces of these two sections 12 and 14 are shaped to form a guideway 18 which is of a dovetailed shape in cross section as shown particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4. The block 12 is cut away from a shoulder 20 which spaces the adjacent portion of the opposed face of said block from the block 14 providing a channel 21 or groove between the opposed faces of the two block sections as shown particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The plate 22 which is illustrated as of a circular shape and secured by screws 24 to the casing of the indicator 26 is provided with a dovetailed shaped land part 28 which is of a size to be received within the dovetailed. way 18 formed between the two sections 12 and 14 of the block 10 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. This dovetailed shaped land 28 is provided with a rack 30 shown most clearly in FIG. 5 but shown also in FIGS. 3 and 4. This rack depends into the channel 21 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

It is adapted to be engaged by a pinion 32 mounted on a screw 34 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The pinion is mounted on a reduced diameter portion 36 of the screw 34 which is journaled in the two block sections as shown particularly in FIG. 4 for free rotation. The outer end of this screw is formed to receive a wrench so that the screw may be rotated and the pinion 32, which is integral therewith and which engages the rack 30, will rotate and, acting through the rack, shift the plate 22 and the indicator 26 linearly within the keystone way of the base block.

The screws 16 which hold the two sections 12 and 14 of the base block together likewise hold the two opposite sides of the keystone way formed between the sections 12 and 14 of the base block against the opposite sloping sides of the keystone land 28 of the plate 22 as shown in FIG. 3. It will be seen that the shoulder 20 of the block section 12 is cut short so that these two sections 12 and 14 may be urged snugly against the keystone land 28. When the screws 16 are loosened, rotation of the readjustment screws 34, acting through the pinion 32 and rack 30, shifts the plate 22 and the indicator mounted thereon as desired. When the indicator has been moved to the desired point of adjustment, the screws 16 are tightened so as to hold it at such position.

There is mounted upon each screw a pair of dished spring washers 37. These washers are for the purpose of exerting sufficient spring tension through the screws to hold the block sections 12 and 14 together, thereby exerting pressure upon the opposite sides of the keystone way 18 so as to frictionally hold the indicator through the plate 22 and the keystone land 28 against accidental displacement while the screws 16 are being tightened down. Without the washers, when the screws 16 are loosened sufiiciently to permit adjustment of the indicator by means of the screw 34, there is suflicient play so that when the screws 16 are tightened firmly the indicator may he accidentally slightly displaced. The spring washers, however, permit adjustment of the indicator by means of the screw 34 while still frictionally gripping the keystone land 28 so that the indicator is not easily accidentally displaced.

Two screws 38 are shown extending through the block so as to secure such block to a supporting part or frame as desired.

In the modification shown in FIG. 5 and 6, the base block is identical with that heretofore shown and described in FIGS. 1 through 5 and the parts are similarly numbered. The indicator itself, however, and the mounting for it are different from that shown in FIGS. 1 through 4. The indicator is identified as 40 and it has a contact element 42. The mounting for the indicator is in the form of a clamp 44 which has a lower jaw 46 and an upper jaw 48. There are a pair of clamping screws 50 which are receivable as shown in FIGS, 6 and 7 through the upper jaw and extend into the lower jaw and as tightened down clamp the indicator 40 securely in place between the two jaws. The indicator embodies a conduit 42 which extends through a source of fluid pressure but it forms no part of the instant invention. Neither indicator forms any part of the instant invention. Both indicators are conventional.

The baseblock of the indicator shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is the same as the base block of the indicator shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, and support of the indicator clamp 44 and its adjustment upon the base is the same as has een. hereinabove described in connection with FIGS. 1 through 4.

What I claim is:

1. An indicator mounting bracket comprising, in combination, a base consisting of two cooperating sections having upper planar faces disposed in a common plane and having opposed. complementary faces defining therebetween a generally T-shaped space having the head portion of the T-shaped space of dovetailed space in cross section forming a generally dovetailed way opening throughthe upper faces of the two sections, an indicator mounting part having a planar bottom face portion seated upon the upper planar faces of the two sections on opposite sides of the way therebetween, said bottom planar face portion of the mounting part having a depending land dovetailed in. cross section and slidably received within the dovetailed way of they base, a pair of clamping screws extending through one section of the base, and through the space between said, sections and threadedly connected into the cooperating sectionof the base, said screws operable to clamp said sections against oppositev sides of the dovetailed land, and spring means held under tension between said screws and one of the sections tensioning the two sections of the base relatively against opposite. sides of the land while permitting re sisted adjustment of the land and its mounting part linearly with respect to the way.

2. An indicator mounting bracket as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the generally dovetailed shaped land is provided with a depending rack portion receivable within the upright portion of the T-shaped space below the way and a pinion is rotatably supported between said base sections within the upright portion of the T-shaped space upon a pinion shaft and the end portions of the pinion shaft are mounted within the cooperating base sections, one of said pinion end portions being acceptable for engagement for rotation, said pinion rotatably operably engaged with said depending rack portion to actuate the same.

3. An indicator mounting bracket as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the generally dovetailed shaped land is provided with means depending into the upright portion of the T-shaped space below the way and operating mechanism is disposed within the upright portion of the T-shaped space below the way coupled with said means to actuate. the same to vary the position of the mounting plate with respect to the base.

4. An indicator mounting bracket as defined in claim 2 characterized in that one of said base sections is provided with a shoulder portion extending across the upright portion of the T-shaped space between the sections below the clamping screws and determining the minimum spacing of the two base sections apart.

5. An indicator, mounting bracket as defined in claim 2 characterized in that each of said clamping screws extends freely through one of said base sections and is threadedly engaged with the cooperating section, said spring means comprising a tension washer encircling each screw and is interposed between a part of the screw and that section of the base through which the screw freely extends and exerts a tension upon said section of the base urging it toward the cooperating base section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,367,957 Metcalfe June 23, 1945 2,767,003 Gilmont Oct. 16, 1956 2,788,564 Waldrick Apr. 16, 1957 2,831,237 Bannow Apr. 22, 1958 2,944,467 Casanov July 12, 1960 

